By Ben Meiselas
I had the incredible honor of speaking with Deja Foxx—someone who truly embodies what public service should look like. She’s 25 years old, a fierce advocate, and now a Democratic candidate for Congress in Arizona’s 7th District. Deja’s story is the kind of American dream Republicans love to talk about, but would rather erase in practice.
Born to a single mom, raised on food stamps, reliant on Medicaid and Section 8 housing, Deja didn’t just survive—she thrived. With the help of social safety nets Republicans are hell-bent on destroying, she earned a full scholarship to Columbia University. Now, she’s running to fight for families like hers. And the establishment? They’re scared. Because Deja Foxx represents the future—and they represent a desperate attempt to drag us back to the past.
When I asked what she’s hearing from voters, Deja painted a clear picture: people are fed up. Arizona families are worried about losing Medicaid. They’re watching Trump’s erratic tariffs raise prices. They’re seeing Republicans try to name highways after Trump while stripping food and health care from those who need it most. As Deja put it, “There’s nothing pro-family about what these Republicans are doing.”
She told the story of a young woman who lost her mother because they had to delay cancer care. Of a neonatal doctor who reminded her that half of all babies in Arizona are born under Medicaid. These aren’t policy abstractions—these are lives.
And Deja has lived it. At 16, she got birth control from Planned Parenthood because she had no money, no insurance, and no support. That care allowed her to take control of her future. But under Trump and MAGA Republicans, that care would be gone. Their goal is to stop future leaders like Deja from ever getting a shot.
That’s why her race matters. The special election is July 15. She’d be the youngest member of Congress and the first Gen Z woman in that chamber. But more than that, she’d be a voice for the people actually living paycheck to paycheck—not billionaire donors and cable news pundits.
Deja isn’t running to join the political class. She’s running to disrupt it. She’s even taking on one of the very school board members who failed her community when she was just a teenager advocating for better sex ed while working at a gas station.
As Deja asked in our conversation: When everything is on the line, will you be able to say you did everything you could?
Watch my interview with Deja. Spread the word. Listen and share the episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. And thank you to everyone who has joined as a paid subscriber. It is thanks to you that we are able to build this independent platform and highlight voices the corporate media won’t.
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